I think it was started in '77 by a former Olympic medalist who lives in Spokane. He got other famous runners to run in the inaugural race and it just "bloomed" into something huge. In '96 there were over 60,000 runners. 12 kilometer course for all age groups, wheelchairs, etc. The winners always seem to be Kenyan. People from all over the world run in it, though 80% or more are locals from the north west. Growing up in Spokane it was always a big deal, though I've never done it because it's always on a Sunday.